Beyond the Mist
by Aviation
Summary: Cut off from their Clans by a fire, 16 cats join the Tribe of Swirling Mist - but an unexpected danger is approaching. Young Larkpaw's bravery, courage, and will to live itself will be put to the test as she tries to uncover what lays beyond the mist...
1. Prologue

_Disclaimer: I do not own Warriors._

**A/N: I'd like to say that I didn't come up with these names on my own - I used a few names from Skyfeather123's "Anybody Need Names?" story, as well as some names from Darkstorm Mistystar's Legacy's story.**

Prologue

_A fire blazed in the night, illuminating the whole of the clearing. "Morningpaw! Whitepaw! Scarletfeather!"_

_The list of names continued, but the voice of the cat yowling them was smothered by the roar of the flames. Giving them up for gone, the cat followed after the rest of his Clan._

_OoOoO_

_It was morning and the fire still blazed. "We can't get back, Scarletfeather," Whitepaw meowed. The other cats meowed in agreement._

_"Let's go then," Scarletfeather meowed, rushing away towards the mountains, the other cats close at her heels._

_OoOoO_

_"Who are they?" Whitepaw asked. A thin line of cats traveled along a steep and narrow ridge. _

_"I don't know," Morningpaw meowed._

_"Let's go see," Scarletfeather decided._

_OoOoO_

_"You can come with us," the tom purred. "Once we reach our new home, you may ask our leader if you can stay."_

_"Thank you," Scarletfeather meowed, and she and the other Clan cats followed the new cats along the ridge._

_OoOoO_

Chapter 1

A pretty tortoiseshell she-cat padded up to the smoky grey tom. "We have to stop soon," she purred. "Clover's going to have her kits any minute now."

"I know, I know, Lightheart," the tom purred. "We'll stop just as soon as we reach the Falling River."

"Alright, Smoke, you know best," Lightheart purred. Smoke that Rises from the Fire was the deputy. He was taking Lightheart, Clover, and several other cats to the Falling River, where the leader of the Tribe of Swriling Mist, Thunderstar, was waiting.

"I hope that Falling River will be a good home for us," the apprentice Dancingpaw meowed. "It's really hard to adjust to a new home. Speaking of which, how are you doing back there?"

Dancingpaw was refering to Morningpaw, Whitepaw, Scarletfeather, several other cats who had come from four Clans of cats called ThunderClan, WindClan, RiverClan, and ShadowClan. They'd come to the Tribe of Swriling Mist because of a large forest fire that had separated them from their Clans. When they arrived at Falling River, they'd ask Thunderstar if they could stay. He'd probably let them, since a few of the she-cats were pregnant.

"So how exactly does your name system wrork again?" Silverfang asked.

"When a queen has kits, she decides how to name them. She can use a changing name, like your clan names, a simple name, like Clover or Magic, or a long name, like Smoke that Rises from the Fire, or Light that Shines at Dawn. If it's a long name, one of the first words is used as a nickname, like Smoke and Light. When cats become apprentices, if they have changing names, their names change. And when they become warriors, their names would change again. All the other names just stay the same," purred a young she-cat named Wave that Ripples in the Water.

"Not too much longer," Smoke meowed. "I can almost scent the water."

The cats purred excitedly. All of them were anxious to see Falling Water. Supposedly, it was a river that actually fell down, and under it was said to be a cave. The land surrounding it was said to be plentiful forests and open moorland, both perfect for prey.

A terrifed yowl shattered everyone's thoughts.

* * *

**A/N: I just figured out how to do that line thingy! Ok, if you like this, plz review because I will take it off if no one likes it. Does anyone have any suggestions for names for the main character? If not, I have an idea, but since I'm writing this for you to read, I'd like your input. R&R!**


	2. First Mission

Chapter Two

"Snowpaw!" a cream and ginger tabby she-cat screamed. Candy whirled around. Snowpaw, a white she-cat with amber eyes, was wonderfully adventurous. Now, she dangled from a cliff over 100 fox lengths above the ground (A/N: A fox length is about 3 feet).

Creekfur, a brown and tan tabby and Snowpaw's father, leapt to save her. His teeth grabbed her scruff, but just as he was about to haul her up, the ledge beneath him broke.

Candy, a cream and ginger she-cat, instead of rushing to save the two cats, screamed two words: "The ledge!"

Creekfur and Snowpaw twisted violently, trying to make themselves land on a tiny ledge below. Candy could see that they weren't going to make it.

Weedpaw, a ginger and grey tom, came to the rescue. Candy ran along side the Clan cat. There was little time and only one thing to do. The two young cats leapt down onto the ledge.

Candy was barely able to fasten her teeth into her sister's scruff as she fell. Even so, the impact nearly pulled Candy off the ledge herself. Looking back, the apprentice saw that Weedpaw had caught Creekfur. The rest of the cats in the Tribe of Swirling Mist, as well as the new cats, gathered aroung the ledge where the four cats had disappeared and looked down. A she-cat Candy recognized as Scarletfeather carefully climbed down the ledge. "Here," she meowed, motioning to Snowpaw. Snowpaw shakily made her way over to Scarletfeather, who grabbed the young cat's scruff in her jaws and carried her up. Neither Creekfur or Weedpaw had needed help getting up, so Candy leapt back up herself.

"So close to Falling River," Smoke muttered. More loudly, he meowed, "We can make it."

OoOoO

Candy lay in the apprentices' den, next to the Clan apprentice Weedpaw. They had just reached Falling River. Since it was well past nightfall, the cats had been ushered into the cave under the river and now lay in dens sheltered by bushes.

The cream and ginger she-cat could hear Thunderstar and Smoke discussing whether or not to let the Clan cats stay. Candy hoped they'd get to. Other than Snowpaw, they'd stayed out of trouble and many seemed experienced.

"We should let them stay, Thunderstar," Smoke meowed. "Some of the she-cats are pregnant. And you know how short we are on young cats. Candy and Blue Jay are our only apprentices."

"Alright," Thunderstar gave in. "They can stay. But one of us has to train them all, so they can learn our ways."

"Wait," Smoke meowed, then he dropped his voice to a low whisper, so Candy couldn't hear what was being said.

Sleepily, Candy lay down and soon she drifted off in a sea of dreams.

OoOoO

"Candy! Candy, wake up!" hissed a voice. Candy awoke to find Blue Jay staring at her. "Thunderstar called a meeting. He's going to announce his decision!"

_I already know his decision,_ Candy thought, but she kept her thoughts to herself.

"I have decided that the Clan cats can stay," Thunderstar meowed. "However, before we get down to business, two apprentices are ready to become warriors. Blue Jay, Candy, come forward."

Candy stepped forwards excitedly. This must have been what Smoke had talked about so quietly!

"Do you two apprentices promise, from this day forth, to uphold and defend the duties of being both a warrior and a full-fledged cat of the Tribe of Swirling Mist?" Thunderstar asked.

"I do," Candy purred, so excited that she barely heard Blue Jay repeat the words.

"Then I call upon StarClan to look down on these two cats before you. Are they worthy of the name "warrior"?" Thunderstar meowed.

A cloud that had covered the sun moved off. Candy knew that Thunderstar would take this as a sign that they were worthy enough to be warriors.

"Then I give you your first mission," Thunderstar meowed. "Blue Jay, you have told our medicine cat, Flower that Blooms at Dawn, that you wish to be a medicine cat. Is this still your wish?"

Blue Jay nodded her approval.

"From now on, you will be known not as a warrior but as a medicine cat. StarClan honors your bravery in choosing such a path," Thunderstar continued. Blue Jay bent down and licked the stone beneath her, as was customary, then she ran over to Flower.

"Candy," the leader purred. "Your first mission is to train the Clan cats in the ways of the Tribe of Swirling Mist."

Such an important mission! Candy bent down and licked the stone below her.

As Candy walked towards the warriors' den, Scarletfeather came up to her. "We were wondering when we will receive our first lesson," the she-cat meowed.

"Yes...um...well..." Candy meowed. "Sun high today will be good."

"Thank you, Candy," the Clan cat meowed, rushing off.

Candy sighed. Her mission was important, but sure to be difficult. How hard could it be, though, to teach something she'd known all her life?

* * *

**A/N: Ok, I didn't get any reviews for my first chapter, since I just posted it, but here's the next chapter. I'm going to a camp for 3 days and I won't be able to use the computer, so I want at least 3 reviews by the time I get back, ok?**

**Also, the story is only from Candy's POV for a while, then I'll have a new main charrie for the main action. I have three options for the name, and you can decide which kind of name you think would be best. A "changing" name, a simple name, or a long name? Voice your opinion. R&R!R&R!R&R!R&R!R&R!R&R!R&R!R&R!R&R!R&R!R&R!**


	3. Kits

**A/N: Ok, I got 2 reviews, but close enough. Thanks to Leafpool's Loyalty for the kits' names...**

"What happens if you eat on a hunting mission and don't bring back prey?" a tawny-colored she-cat, Littlepaw, meowed.

"You sleep in the prison den," Candy replied.

"Is the prison den uncomfortable?" Whitepaw asked.

Candy sighed. "Yes. It's usually filled with little or no moss, and dull sticks."

"That sounds unfair," Morningpaw decided. "Why would anyone want to force someone to sleep there?"

"It's the prision den. It's supposed to be uncomfortable. And the only catst that sleep there are cats that break the rules," Candy meowed, trying to sound patient.

Weedpaw padded up with a rabbit, two voles, and a bird in his jaws. "There," he meowed, dropping it onto the fresh prey pile. Candy sighed again. Why couldn't the other cats understand things like Weedpaw? They were driving her insane! It had been two moons, almost three, since she had started training the Clan cats. Littlepaw, Whitepaw, and Morningpaw weren't adapting as well as Weedpaw, but they were doing alright. At least that's what Thunderstar believed.

"All cats old enough to be sentenced to the prison den, please gather beneath Tall Stone for a Tribe meeting!" yowled Smoke, shattering Candy's specualations. She padded towards Tall Stone.

"Three Clan apprentices have come to know our ways and are ready to become Clan warriors," Thunderstar mewoed. "Snowpaw, Eaglepaw, Weedpaw, come forwards."

The three apprentices stepped forwards.

"Do you three apprentices promise, from this day forth, to uphold and defend the duties of being both a warrior and a full-fledged cat of the Tribe of Swirling Mist?" Thunderstar asked.

"We do," the three young cats chorused.

"Then I call upon StarClan to look down on these three cats before you. Are they worthy of the name "warrior"?" Thunderstar meowed.

Three small clouds moved away slowly from the sun.

"Since these apprentices have changing names, their warrior names will be Snowfur, Eaglewing, and Weedfoot. Welcome to the Tribe of Swirling Mist."

Excited yowls drowned out Thunderstar's next words. "Quiet!" he finally shrieked. The Tribe quieted down.

"Snowfur, your first mission is to train Nickel, who now is becoming an apprentice." Turning to Nickel, he said, "Nickel, do you promise to train hard to learn the ways of the Tribe of Swirling Mist?"

The young cat nodded firmly.

"Right then." Thunderstar flicked his tail and Nickel moved over by Snowfur.

"Eaglewing, your first mission is to watch the camp alone tonight. Weedfoot, your first mission is to assist Candy in training the new apprentices."

Candy barely surpressed a yowl of happiness. As the meeting broke up, she ran to him. He entwined his tail with hers, obviously just as happy as she was.

OoOoO

"Kits?" Candy asked. "I'm going to have kits?"

"Yes," Blue Jay answered. "You certainly are. It's time you joined the queens. Are they Weedfoot's?"

Candy nodded happily. She'd always wanted kits.

OoOoO

"Let's see...we'll call that black she-cat Crow that Flies with Clouds, and the grey she-cat can be Feather that Blows in the Storm," Weedfoot meowed.

"The black tom can be Stone," Candy purred. "And the brown tom should be Chocolate."

"But what about the other two?" Weedfoot purred. "Changing names?"

"Yes, that would be nice," Candy meowed.

"Alright then, how about Pinekit for the brown and white tom and Sagekit for the ginger she-cat?" he suggested.

"Okay," Candy meowed. "And that last one...the tiny little silver and brown she-cat over in the corner...she should be called Larkkit."

"Perfect," Weedfoot purred. "Perfect."

**A/N: Who do you think is will be the main character? My next chapter is from her/his point of view, so what is your guess? R&R!**


	4. Flashback and An Attack

**A/N: It seems like forever since I updated. Well, I found my notes for my stories and now can update again (I lost the notebook they were in...oops). Enjoy!**

Flashback, Moons and Moons Ago

"_She's dying, Knife, there's nothing we can do," meowed a feminine voice._

"_No, no, there must be something!" a jet-black tom who looked to be barely a warrior pleaded._

"_You love her, don't you, Knife?"_

_The dark-pelted tom answered slowly, his voice choked with emotion. "Yes. Yes I do."_

"_I'm sorry, brother" the she-cat whispered quietly. Another she-cat with a cream and ginger pelt lay in the middle, breathing laboriously. Next to her lay two tiny kits. Slowly, slowly, the she-cat's breathing lessened and soon it had ceased altogether._

_The black tom let out a long, agonizing wail of grief. "Noooooooooooo!"_

"_Your kits still live," the tom's sister reminded him. "I just had my kits – I can take care of yours as well."_

"_It's no use," the forlorn tom meowed dejectedly. "The housefolk will just take them away."_

"_It is not so," the she-cat purred. "When my kits are old enough, I will send them to join the Tribe of Rising Stars that lies _beyond the mist._"_

"_Then my kits will join yours, Bird" Knife meowed decidedly._

"_But first you must name them," Bird prompted._

"_I suppose," Knife began. "The black and cream one is Ace, and the ginger one is Hyacinth."_

"_Fine names, very fine," Bird purred. Suddenly, a rustle sounded from the grass behind the dead kit-mother and out stepped a tiny kit, not noticed in the commotion. She was an exact copy of her mother, her pelt cream and ginger as well._

"_She," the tom choked, "is Candy."_

OoOoO

Three Moons Later

"_Must we go?" Hyacinth murmured quietly to her father and adoptive mother._

"_Yes," Bird meowed gently. "You don't have much of a choice."_

_Ace sighed and Bird's birth sons, Yarrowkit and Gravel, slumped._

"_It will be an adventure!" Candy purred. "Let's go!"_

_Soon the five cats had begun their journey into the unknown._

OoOoO

Candy's POV

"_There! This way!" Gravel shouted. I could hear my friends chattering excitedly but could not see them through the mist. I just kept padding forwards, but soon their voiced were gone. For what seemed like forever I just kept going, until I heard a voice._

"_You there! Kit!"_

_I whirled around. A blue-grey she-cat stood behind me._

"_I'm Blue Jay," she purred. "I'm a kit, too. Do you want to join the Tribe of Swirling Mist?"_

"_What about the Tribe of Rising Stars?" I asked._

"_Oh, we can't find them. Did you get close?"_

"_My companions made it," I purred._

"_It's too easy to get lost in the mist," Blue Jay meowed. "Come with me. The Tribe of Swirling Mist is just fine, you'll see."_

_I sighed and padded slowly after the she-cat, all the while wondering where my friends had gone off to._

OoOoo

After Flashback

Candy awoke with a start. She must have been dreaming about her past again. It was so mysterious...where could her friends have gone? A tiny mewling broke her thoughts. Larkkit sat next to her, eyes wide open.

OoOoO

Larkkit's POV

I awoke from a strange dream that started when a cat named Knife lost his mate, and his sister Bird took care of his kits for a while and then sent them to find the Tribe of Rising Stars - but my mother, Candy, found the Tribe of Swirling Mist instead. Surely, it couldn't mean anything...right? I hoped not. Blue Jay tells us stories she learned from her mentor about horrible things that lie _beyond the mist. _There certainly couldn't be anything good there.

"Are you alright?" my mother purred quietly. She'd woken up too.

"Yes, I'm fine," I meowed, settling down until my mother fell asleep once more. Then, I slowly got up, moving as quietly as the moon when it travels through the nighttime sky. Slowly and cautiously, I padded towards the top of Falling River, all the while thinking about how much I disliked having to follow the warrior code and not leave camp. Oh well, I didn't really care, since I wasn't **really** out of camp.

Unlike most other cats, I loved to swim. Once I reached the top of Falling River, I leapt in and let the current take me towards the edge. (A/N: Falling River is a small waterfall.) As I slipped off the overhang, I felt as though I was flying through the water, and when I plunged into the restless river at the bottom, I immediatly pulled my head out of the water. For a few more seconds, I let the river soak my pelt, and then I swam out. Again, no one had noticed my outing.

As I padded back towards the nursery, after licking myself clean, I heard a rustle in the bushes. I froze. _You're just being silly, _I told myself. _It's probably just a rabbit._ So everso slowly, I turned around. A large pair of yellow eyes peered out at me. This was no rabbit, it was a cat. It was a cat I knew, a cat I was terrified of. I tried to run, but I was petrified by the tom's gaze. Suddenly, an owl's hoot broke the trance and I ran for my life, the tom right at my heels. I felt a massive paw collide with my back as he pinned me down.

"Too late, little kitty," he purred evily into my ear. Then he lunged, claws unsheathed, fangs extended, ready to administer a death blow.

* * *

**A/N: All of you who guessed Larkkit, you were correct. Yay! This chapter is mainly to explain Candy's heritage and...possibly...foreshadow events to come. You also get to meet a villian, but he's not the main one...or maybe he will be, I'm not sure yet. Should I do some chapters from the POV's of the cats who went to the Tribe of Rising Stars? I'm not sure...R&R!**


	5. Destiny

**A/N: Ok, I updated! Not the longest chapter...but oh well. Enjoy!**

XXX

Larkkit shut her eyes tight, terrified. The tom looming over her, about to swing his paw down and end her life, was the evil Deathclaw, a cat who terrorized young cats who ventured out alone.

Suddenly, the tom's shadow disappeared. Larkkit looked up. Weedfur and Candy stood nearby, panting, their claws dripping with blood. Deathclaw lay on the ground, his flank cut up and bleeding. Several other cats rushed up. One, Snowfur, grabbed Larkkit by the scruff. "Let's get you back to camp," the white warrior meowed.

XXX

It had been two moons since Deathclaw had attacked, and Larkkit was one moon away from becoming an apprentice. Her father, Weedfur, had thrilled her with stories of the four Clans and how they had a Gathering at the full moon. But here...here the Tribe of Swirling Mist was alone. Larkkit lay in the nursery next to her mother, deep in thought. Yes, she'd gone to Falling River, but that was not because she was all hyper all the time - cats like that didn't know anything about anything. No, she'd gone for adventure. That's what she wanted, adventure.

Larkkit sighed. With no other tribes, there were almost no battles. Life was serene and practically perfect. All cats had to do was hunt for food. Candy thought it was wonderful. Larkkit thought it was boring. So boring that...Larkkit yawned...she might...fall...asleep...

XXX

**(A/N: Larkkit's dream...)**

_A cream and ginger she-cat padded towards Larkkit. It looked just like Candy - but she was older-looking. "Who are you?" the kit demanded immediately._

_"I'm your grandmother, Slit," the she-cat mrrowed laughingly._

_"Candy's mother?"_

_"Yes. Do you know how Candy came to be in the Tribe of Swirling Mist when she should have been in the Tribe of Rising Stars?"_

_Larkkit was silent. Tribe of Rising Stars?_

_Taking the silence as an answer, Slit continued. "I am Candy's mother, as you know. My mate was a tom named Knife, and he had a sister named Bird who had just kitted. Her kits were Yarrowkit and Gravel. Then I had my kits...but I died bearing them. Their names were Ace, Hyacinth, and Candy. So the Twolegs wouldn't take them away, when the kits were three moons old they were sent by Knife and Bird into the forest to find the Tribe of Rising Stars. Ace, Hyacinth, Yarrowkit, and Gravel made it...but Candy got lost in the mist. She found the Tribe of Swirling Mist instead. Neither Tribe has communicated with one another for years...for reasons I can't reveal to you. But I can say that it is you destiny to bring them together." With that, the starry ginger and white she-cat began to fade away._

_"Wait!" Larkkit called miserably. "I need to know more!"_

_"All will be uncovered in time, young Larkkit," whispered Slit's voice, even though the StarClan she-cat was no longer visible. "Just remember, _the mist swirls around the rising stars because the lark's wing discovered what lies beyond the mist."

XXX

Larkkit awoke with a start. Could any of this be true? If it was...well...she knew that it was HER the prophecy talked about, the one that brought the two tribes together by...discovering what lay beyond the mist? But she wasn't even supposed to go into the mist. No one who had gone in and tried to get out of it had succeeded. How should she be any different?

XXX

Slit could sense Larkkit's thoughts of doubt. _You are different, _she thought to the young cat, wishing Larkkit could hear her, _because you are the Daughter of the Stars - the chosen one. This is your task. StarClan fights alongside you, it is your destiny, and who can argue with that?_

XXX

**A/N: Not the best chapter ever...but it gives you some info you'll need to know. OK, right now I have 15 reviews, I'll update once I have...let's see...how about once I have 21 reviews? So R&R plz!**

**-Aviation-**


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